A Meek Surrender

The manner in which the government deferred the pension bill under pressure from its ally the Trinamool Congress speaks volumes about its weaknesses. If this is how the Congress keeps surrendering before its ally then it will have nowhere to go. It has to muster up courage in matters related to national importance. The excuse made by Railway Minister Mukul Roy in a letter to the Congress that since no TMC leader was present in the meeting their suggestions cannot be incorporated is not justifiable. It’s a known fact that the TMC is opposing the bill for political reasons. If the government had to give in to the demands of the TMC then why did it speak so strongly in favour of the pension bill? Just 24 hours after taking some tough decisions on economic front the manner in which the government surrendered before the TMC signaled out a message among the people that the government is a mere pawn in the hands of its allies.

Despite inviting so much flak due to the Trinamool Congress the government is unwilling to learn from its mistakes. Rather than thinking of an alternative to the TMC it is only giving into their demands. This when the Congress already has Samajwadi Party as an alternative to the TMC. If the government is surrendering before the TMC just because of the Presidential elections then it is absolutely futile. Often election compulsions have forced the government to surrender. First economic reforms were put on hold keeping in mind elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and three other states. Soon after that, assembly elections in five states this year again put the government on the backfoot. The Congress should distance itself from the TMC as soon as possible in order to save itself from all the criticism.